Vexed
by holdsmoke
Summary: A oneshot of Tyler and Caroline's kiss during 2x12. Tyler's POV.


Tyler wasn't cold, to be honest he couldn't even remember the last time he had been affected by the chilled winter air of the small Virginia town he called home. So even despite having been perched on her front porch for the past 45 minutes, the frigid temperatures of late January were far from enough to force his retreat. His focus had been shaken all day and surprisingly enough the recent occurrence of his first transformation wasn't the culprit for his distracted state, but rather a morning encounter with his newest friend - a stubborn, blonde vampire. He could feel the ache of the previous night in every inch of his body but when he was zoning out during class all he could manage to think about was Caroline Forbes smiling sweetly up at him, giggling adorably for no reason at all... before she admitted to risking her life just to help him out.

Those hours were still so close that they felt fresh inside of his mind and he was certain that they would stick with him for until he took his final breath. No matter how victorious he could make himself feel by accomplishing even the simple act of standing upright after the brutal pain he had endured, it was impossible to ignore the fact that soon he would have to relive it all over again, and then again, and then every month to come after.

Tyler recalled how slow the time began to drain by and the sound of his heartbeat crawling inside of his ears. The chains wrapped around his limbs seemed to rattle at an unbearable volume, as if they were daring him to ask himself one more time if this was _really_ happening. And then, just to reassure him that he wasn't going to make it through the night there was that incredible tightening of the muscles that made up his arm. Before he could register what was happening his bones were viciously snapped and white seared behind his eyes as he cried and screamed in agony. He could feel every individual thing in his body - his insides working in overdrive to repair the damage that had been done to him. Waiting for the pain to subside was almost as painful as being torn apart in the first place.

Despite his awareness of every event occurring inside of his shaking, sweating frame, he could also pick up on the cool feel of her palms placed firmly against his fiery hot skin. The fingers of her left hand lightly dug into his shoulder, the most recent socket that had been torn out of place, as if trying to be desperate and gentle with him at the same time. Her right hand did it's best to thread itself into his short, black hair and she whispered reassurances into his ear to try and help his situation in any way that she could. He did have to admit that her chilled breath felt good against his neck, but it wasn't good enough to take him away from the war that was raging inside of himself.

A shiver ran up his spine as the slamming of a car door brought him back to his seat on the Forbes' property, away from the torment of his first transformation. He sat still, full of anticipation as he listened to the clinking of the keys dangling from her hand and the clicking of her boots coming up the driveway. There was no way that he could allow his imagination to explore any more possible reasons for her kamikaze attack or else he knew he would go insane. Tyler promised himself that he wasn't going to leave until he got an explanation.

"Hey," he greeted in a tone that was trying much too hard to be casual, standing up and taking a step between Caroline and the door. Her blue eyes darted up to meet his face and surprise caused her steps to falter. Instead of the bright, cheery smile he had received from her this morning, her mouth formed a thin, straight line that failed to give off any hints of happiness at his unannounced appearance. She hadn't said a single word and he already had the feeling that he'd made a mistake showing up at her house. "Where have you been?"

"Down at school," she replied with some hesitation as she came to stand in front of him, "um, what's up? wh-what do you want?"

Tyler had never been one to strategize or think things through and upon hearing her question he realized he had no idea how to put together the words that he wanted to say. It all seemed so simple when he had been waiting for her to arrive but the unwelcome air that followed her up the front steps seemed to be causing his throat to seize up. "We need to talk," he stated, staring at her with a serious look on his face.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she cocked her head to the side slightly and asked, "why?"

This wasn't going at all the way he had expected it to. She was supposed to be excited to see him, the way she was in the morning. After everything she had done, the incredible lengths she had gone through to try and make him feel okay, the stubborn determination to stay by his side until the last possible minute, he was completely bewildered as to where _this_ Caroline came from. He opened his mouth to speak but he could feel his confidence fading with every passing second. He just stood there silently, looking like an idiot as he searched for his words but he could feel the gears freezing up inside of his head.

"What's wrong with you?" she cut in, giving off a cold, uncomfortable laugh as the sentence left her lips.

Tyler's jaw locked in response and he couldn't help but break his gaze and let his eyes fall downwards for a moment. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach that seemed to be growing heavier and he forced out the first thing that came to his mind, "I just don't understand one thing."

Her eyes continued their relentless battle against him as she asked, "what?" in a low and unfriendly tone.

"Why would you risk it?" he replied boldly, feeling himself growing defensive, "if a werewolf bite kills a vampire... why would you risk it?"

"Well... because you needed help," she answered him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, clearly taken aback by his question.

He wasn't satisfied with the response, he was certain that there had to be something... more. Tyler had far too much pride to admit it aloud but he had come to depend on Caroline much more than he'd ever depended on anyone for the entire duration of his existence. He was fully aware of the fact that he would have been completely screwed without her for his first full moon, but he remembers the way she had refused to leave until it was almost too late. Maybe it was unethical, but he was angry at her for being so careless. He couldn't fathom the possibility of ever hurting her. "I could have _killed_ you," he pressed back, challenging her.

"But you _didn't_," she firmly replied, her face twisting into a mixture of irritation and shock that he had the audacity to try and make her feel like she was in the wrong.

Tyler exhaled a long, frustrated breath because he hadn't come looking for an argument. He just wanted the truth. "You…" he shook his head, exhausted from trying to make her say whatever it was that he was wanting to hear from her, "I don't understand you, Caroline."

Her eyes widened for a moment and than flashed with aggravation, it became obvious that she was almost at her boiling point. "Why is it _so_ hard for you to let someone else help you?" she exclaimed, rushing past him and shoving the key into the lock to try and communicate to him that the conversation was over.

"Well, that's not it," he calmly responded, turning around to continue their exchange.

"Yeah it is, Tyler!" Caroline wheeled around to unleash all the emotion that she had clearly been concealing since her arrival. "It's like you don't want anyone to care about you. And I'm sorry - I cared."

Tyler's eyes hardened and focused on hers with intensity as the words left her mouth. Adrenaline began to flood inside of his veins as he intently listened to her as she furiously continued her speech.

"I cared, Tyler." she spat, giving him a final, frozen glare before spinning back around and turning the lock in order to let herself inside. "So forgive me if I overstepped my boundaries by actually giving a.."

It took a few seconds for his mind to process what she was telling him and fear kicked in when he watched her turn around to leave without letting her know what he needed her to. This entire time he had been fighting to figure out the perfect thing to say and he realized it wasn't words that he should have been looking for. Before he let the opportunity pass he raced forward and grabbed her arm, spinning her around and pressing his lips to hers. His hands came up to rest on either side of her face as Tyler softly and slowly kissed her for the very first time. Caroline was too shocked to do anything except close her eyes, she just stood there and allowed her thoughts catch up to reality.

After a few seconds she could feel her body relaxing into his hands from the unexpected tenderness of the kiss from the boy she had so often seen acting tough and aggressive. He pulled away from her slightly, breaking up the contact to look at her so he could figure out what was going through her head. Thick, heavily-mascaraed eyelashes fluttered open to stare into his eyes and Tyler wasn't too sure what he found. His thumb stroked her cheek as he picked out confusion, he could swear she almost looked scared. But she also looked _hungry_; desperate for more of him. Her cloudy eyes fell down to his lips as if they were confirming the fact and he dove back in to steal another kiss.

As if it were reflex, Caroline tilted her head and began to move her mouth against his, returning the undeniable gesture. Tyler pushed forward to apply more force and she reciprocated as the kiss deepened and became more passionate. The tension was rapidly escalating and she allowed herself to lean into him, exploring the new territory for a moment before snapping herself out of it and pulling backwards with a swift movement. Her fingers came up to touch her lips like they were acting as a barrier to keep them separated.

"You can't do that," she quickly blurted out with wide eyes, shaking her head slightly to back the statement up. The defensive, snappy air that had surrounded just moments ago seemed to have disappeared and now Caroline looked somewhat guilty, almost as if she were a child that had just been caught stealing cookies out of the jar.

"I'm sorry," was all Tyler could manage to respond with. His mouth moved but once again no sound was coming out, his mind was still reeling from the kiss and Caroline's bipolar attitude was starting to make him dizzy. He looked down at his hands which now felt sweaty and clumsy and he wasn't sure what to do with them. He wasn't really sure what to do about any of this, to be honest.

When he dragged his eyes back up to her face he was able to watch her expression change instantaneously. Her brows furrowed and her face scrunched up into a frustrated little ball. "Everyone just needs to stop kissing me!" she barked at him before finally succeeding in getting inside before she slammed the door in his face.

Tyler stood there, staring blankly at the now vacant spot in front of him. Now completely baffled, he was positive that the encounter left him more confused than he had been in the first place. He had exhausted all of his attempts at getting answers for one day, and as he turned and began walking down the length of her driveway he could only imagine what tomorrow would bring.


End file.
